A good egg and my son remembers his dad

Mom on the nest and she's won't budge.

A mad mom keeps a watchful eye on the home owner who  trying to get a good look at her nest and the egg inside it.

A Baltimore Oriole hangs around my blossoming cherry tree.

AUBURN, Maine – Every spring, I inspect my green hedges that surround my front yard, searching for nests with an egg in it.

The nests are usually empty, but I discovered one several days ago with an egg laying there, apparently abandoned by mom and dad.

But as I moved closer to examine my exciting find like an eight-year-old child, a large mockingbird let out a screech, warning me to back off.

The mother was peering down at me from high up in my blossoming cherry tree — and she meant business.

I slowly moved away, never taking my eyes off mom for fear of being dive bombed by the angry parent. Getting picked off by one of our fine-feathered friends hurts.

“Take it easy, mom,” I said. “Have no fear, ma’am. I am just another curious hominid marveling at your offspring like a little boy.”

Mom wasn’t buying my explanation, stood her ground and gave me the evil eye.

I surrendered the high ground and went back inside my home to watch from the window to see if this protective mockingbird would return to her nest.

She did and nestled in to keep her vigil.

Our front lawn draws a variety birds because those hedges act like a natural barrier between cats and other predators that can’t penetrate the protective thicket and strike at our winged friends.

Each spring, a pair of mockingbirds return to hang out there, chasing away other birds with a vengeance as they nest in my hedges. 

That’s why we have bird seed and sewett hanging on poles in the middle of the front lawn. They put on show just five yards from our picture window.

I have witnessed mockingbirds shooing away large crows and blue jays. Fearless mockingbirds are the neighborhood bullies who stake out their turf without mercy.

But I always enjoy nature’s live show in front of our picture window.

The return of birds in the spring reminds me that I survived another harsh Maine winter and have another opportunity to enjoy a splendid summer and fall.

Anyday above ground is a good day.

What a son of a gun

The past year, Anthony, a University of Maine at Farmington junior, co-hosted a two-hour afternoon show on WUMF — the school’s radio station can be heard on the Internet.

During his last show of the season this week, Anthony decided to play “Sarah” on Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” as a tribute to his old man.

So what’s the big deal, you ask.

Well hear out a dedicated father for a moment, please!

Being the family storyteller and a journalist, I have been feeding Anthony’s stories of our lives since our son dashed down the hallway in a diaper.

Anthony enjoys stories from our past. I told him about my radio show at Norwich University in Vermont. We had recently got the album “Tusk.”

I played “Sarah” that evening and was sure the band had another hit coming its way.

Anthony returned the favor last Tuesday. 

That’s what sons do for their fathers.

Goodfellows52: Applauding the “Never Again” movement, another ina...

Goodfellows52: Applauding the “Never Again” movement, another ina...: “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.”                                             ...

Applauding the “Never Again” movement, another inane decision from a chaotic Whie House and our cat comes in from the cold cellar

“Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.” 
                                                                                                                                                            ― Howard Zinn
                                                                                                                                  

AUBURN, Maine — You just witnessed this nation’s teenagers take charge of their lives when they came out in droves across America to protest incessant gun violence in schools.

They delivered rousing speeches and vowed to make an indifferent congress and apathetic president accountable — and if they continue to drag their heels — thousands of young people have made a solemn promise to vote them out of office in the midterms.

These courageous and admirable teens gave us all a civics lesson and re-enforced what Harry Truman said: "Decisions are made by people who show up." And we haven't seen much of that from our leaders.

I stand with them as a part-time teacher and as a responsible adult who was proud of their courage and determination when they spoke before thousands of supporters in Washington D.C., Boston, New York as well as cities in Ireland and France.

This was a worldwide event and these teens were loud and clear with their message: Never again.

I guess the children of this country shall lead us because most of our leaders continue to bow to the NRA or they are too busy sparring with a chaotic Oval Office where indecision and indifference rules. Many of our leaders just don’t get it that these wonderful kids are frightened and weary of the senseless slaughter of their peers.

But they delivered on their promise and a word of caution on a sunny Saturday to our nation’s leaders — “we are not going away and we will vote to make a change.”

I will join these brave teens at the polls when the midterms roll around this year and will gladly show any insouciant politician the door.

Speaking of the White House

Let me get this straight! 

Transgender people won’t be allowed to serve in this nation’s military thanks another absurd decision by the Oval Office.

Why? 

They are American citizens who are willing to stand between us and harm’s way. Another words, they are putting their lives on the line for all of us — including the people in the Oval Office.

In the end, does it really matter that these brave souls are transgender when they pick up a rifle to protect us.

During World War II, the military insisted blacks weren’t capable of flying war planes. Obviously, racism was the backbone of that backward way of thinking of people who just happen to be black.

Well, thanks to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and wife, Eleanor, black men were given that chance and proved they were equally capable of flying P-51 Mustangs and knocking the enemy out of the skies.

They are now known as the Tuskegee airmen, who were honored for service to their nation.

Transgender people deserve the same chance to serve their country.

But it is just another derisive and uninformed decision from the current and befuddled administration.

And Cindy Lou finally came out

Our new cat, Cindy Lou Who, has been hiding all over the house for five weeks.

The hairy critter is like the lead character Keyser Soze in the movie, “The Usual Suspects.”

And like that, poof, Cindy Lou is gone.

From time to time, we had at several sightings of our aloof cat before it dashed off into the darkness of our damp cellar where she hid out like a wanted convict. She would leave dead mice in her wake. We would hear creeping around at night, but when we went to take a peek, she was out of sight.

But this week was break through with relations with our stealthy cat. The thaw came swiftly.

Thanks to my wife’s love and devotion to animals, Cindy Lou decided to give our upstairs accommodations a try.

She is still here and she let’s us know it when she is around. This cat likes to talk and craves attention and still disappears for hours in the cellar.

He now sits on the chair with his own blanket or is in the kitchen getting high on catnip.

I am just glad we are finally friends with the elusive hairball.

Cindy Lou finally feeling right at home.

Goodfellows52: Our new cat is out of the bag and AWOL

Goodfellows52: Our new cat is out of the bag and AWOL: "In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."                                  ...

Our new cat is out of the bag and AWOL

Editor's note: We just discovered our Cindy-Lou Who just knocked of a mouse in my basement. Cindy maybe terrified of us —even though we are kind and gentle — but she has no problem taking a rat out for a walk. He is a mouser with no remorse and our Luco Brazzi. Don Corleone would be proud of his solider.

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."

                                                                                                                                     — Terry Pratchett

AUBURN, Maine — No cat will ever replace Tabby — a one-of-a-kind fur ball that was fearless, sometimes ruthless but always demonstrated its kindness — except to other cats.

I miss his antics and odd sense of humor. His untimely death still smarts. Tabby owned my wife’s heart and it eventually stole mine. But Terri also knew that another feline would be the only way to fill that void of emptiness in house that was suddenly quiet.

So we went shopping for a new cat at the local animal shelter. Our second pick went to a five-year-old cat who appeared to enjoy our company.

So we thought!

We headed for home with a cat that was terrified and meowed in sadness.

As soon as we opened the door to the cat carrier in the house, it bolted toward my son’s bedroom where it stationed itself against the wall under his bed. We peered at it and tried to coax the little bugger out from its hideout.

The cat was stubborn and gave a look like: "Back off, you knuckleheads."

Cindy-Lou Who, its new name, wouldn’t budge. Not even enticing, yummy treats could extricate the terrified cat from self-imprisonment under my son's bed.

But cats know how to pull a disappearing act and will use any orifice in an old home to hide from the ones who love them most.

Over the next few days, it found the open door to the dreaded downstairs and disappeared into the damp, cellar darkness like a fugitive hiding in plain sight from the long arm of the law.

We thought we would never see Cindy-Lou Who again.

For the next week or two or three, Terri would stalk Cindy-Lou like a bounty hunter. All she wanted was to do was give the cat a loving hug and lure it from the dark side.

This cat went AWOL and had the stealth of a B-1 bomber. It didn’t want to be found. If you believe in reincarnation, then this cat was like the great magician Houdini.

But our cat discovered the closets around the top floor of the house to conceal itself. It even once started griping about the lack of treats in its bowl in the middle of the night.

It is getting braver and perhaps it is “working its way back to us, babe,” just like the song by The Four Seasons — except without Frank Valli and his trademark pompadour cut.

It has been three weeks since its disappearing act, but you can hear the scoundrel sneaking around the night like a bobcat. 

One evening, the “In Search Of” team, and that would be us, went downstairs to pay our new cat a visit. 

“I just don’t where he is,” a frustrated Terri said. 

I looked down and then up and there was our deserter sitting on a beam and laughing his ass off at his masters.

“Terri, please look up,” I said to my befuddle wife.

“Why,” she said. “Oh my god, she is above our heads.”

We pleaded with our runaway to have heart and join the family. The cat just meowed away and began looking for an escape route.

It has been nearly a month, but Cindy-Lou Who refuses to watch TV with us or cuddle up on the coach.

But we are still working on her and time is on our side to win over the elusive Cindy-Lou, who is somewhere hiding in Whoville.

Goodfellows52: This part-time teacher will carry a tune but not a...

Goodfellows52: This part-time teacher will carry a tune but not a...: “When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt ...

This part-time teacher will carry a tune but not a pistol to school

“When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.” 

                                                                            — U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley

“We have to fulfill what the real meaning of the Second Amendment is: reasonable access to guns for self-protection and for hunting. And there's no room in America for these semiautomatic, automatic and other kinds of weapons that are simply designed to cause mass havoc. 

                                                                       — Alan Dershowitz, attorney

AUBURN — As a part-time teacher, I refuse to step into a classroom with a concealed weapon strapped to my ankle or hidden under my sports coat.

I am not a Clint Eastwood wannabe playing a rogue cop in the 1976 movie, “The Enforcer.” Schools don’t need teachers playing Dirty Harry with a Glock capable wiping out the population of Rhode Island.

It shouldn’t be a choice, either. It is not a viable option for a number of reasons.

It’s law enforcement’s job to confront and corral criminals. Police know how to handle a handgun and undergo extensive training to deal with dangerous suspects.

This rabid violence against this nation’s young is also societal problem and it is up to this nation’s citizens and leaders to arrive at a sensible solution.

A pistol is no match against an assault rifle.

It is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. 

And I don’t buy the argument that an assault rifle is just another gun. 

Baloney! 

This gun was designed for military combat. It has no business being in anybody’s gun locker.

I understand there are thousands of Americans who own and respect guns. Many of them are hunters and look at a rifle as necessary tool to put food on the table.

But I feel students might be intimidated with teachers carrying a piece. My responsibilities include teaching history or English, being a role model and steering students in the right direction. I would find it awkward and uncomfortable to inspire a classroom while I am carrying cumbersome handgun with a 10-shot clip.

Teachers are not armed prison guards strutting around the yard and staring down inmates. Breaking up a school fight could become complicated for a teacher carrying a weapon. A scuffle might turn dangerous and end in tragedy when a teacher’s pistol suddenly becomes the epicenter of a hallway confrontation between students.

What if a teacher, who draws his gun during a shooting incident, is mistakenly killed by police. Who wants that kind of collateral damage!

Arming teachers is an absurd notion for any politician who suggests weapons in schools will deter or put an end to school shootings.

The shooting in Florida where 17 wonderful, promising lives were lost when an unhinged student entered a school with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle and opened fire.

I am proud of those Florida students who stepped up and challenged our nation’s waffling leaders to move on gun control. Those survivors were courageous during the shooting and their tenacity to push the gun control debate to the forefront is commendable.

In a perfect world, our leaders would layoff using Twitter and actually govern and listen to the outcry of their constituency and the teen-agers who are under assault.

There are many vacuous decisions emanating from a chaotic and pugnacious White House — and arming teachers tops the Oval Office’s list of absurd priorities.

Weapons training for teachers is not an antidote to school shootings. No teacher can also fulfill the role of an armed school resources officer. I don’t want to moonlight as Wyatt Earp with a six-shooter.

There are a handful of valid reasons why such violence erupts in schools — which should be safe, secure, nurturing and fun.

Besides banning assault weapons and conducting stringent background checks, there is a failing mental health system, poor parenting, and missed red flags. Until these issues are addressed and resolved, the death toll in our schools will rise. 

One of the most memorable lines in “The Godfather” is when a Mafia hood says, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”

I have no problem taking a cannoli to school, but I will leave a firearm at home.

I am not making light of this epidemic of school shootings. I’ve been in a lockdown and it was a terrifying experience for students for 20 long minutes. My concern would always be the students first, not reaching for a gun.

Leave the war on crime to the men in blue and out of dedicated teachers’ job descriptions — or put two capable, heavily-armed SROs in every school. Israel’s schools are fortresses thanks to heavy security.

We are educators not gun-totting bodyguards.

Goodfellows52: Tabby was the cat's meow

Goodfellows52: Tabby was the cat's meow: "Cats have it all - admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it."  — Rod McKuen AUBUR...

Tabby was the cat's meow

"Cats have it all - admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it." 

— Rod McKuen

AUBURN — I will miss Tabby’s wake-up calls when he bounded into our bed and demanded to be fed every sunrise.

He was a stickler when it came to his breakfast. After eating, he hopped in the bathtub to drink from the tap. Sipping from a a bowl of water was too bourgeois for this upper-class cat.

Whenever I see a bottle cap, I will think of our rambunctious cat that treated plastics tops like pucks. It batted them all over the living room like an NHL player at the Boston Garden. 

I am still finding the caps under furniture.

We stubbornly let 15-year-old Tabby go after a tumor was choking off his breathing. My wife made the agonizing decision to have Tabby put down. I was not in the room. I was home fighting off a severe cold. 

We believed it would be a routine visit to the vets for Tabby and the sawbones would prescribe an antibiotic and our cat would return home to occupy the couch or recliner.

Terri spent those last mournful moments saying goodbye to animal she adored. I always say Terri is more courageous than I could every be. 

We shared our tears because this cantankerous cat shared 15 years of his full life with this grateful family of three. 

I enjoyed gently squeezing Tabbys’ head or being on the receiving end of one his loving head butts. I tried to startle him more than once while he was sleeping with one of his toys, but he would look up and give me that look: “Beat it dumb ass! I am sleeping!”

Terri enjoyed rousting him and he could get real ornery with my wife, who loved his playful nature.

He had charm, stealth and could be a real wise ass. He brought dead animals to our doorstep, proving he was one sleek predator and assassin who decreased the rodent population to earn his keep.

He constantly begged for treats and used his good looks and wide eyes to get his way with us. We almost always gave into Tabby.

Who could say no!

Growing up, Tabby was a climber who scaled our trees and mysteriously found his way to our roof top more than once to look down upon us mere mortals. He also found his own way down — another puzzle that will remain unresolved for all eternity.

Pets are a timeline in our lives. Tabby was the subject of countless pictures and loved being around our son who loved that furball. Anthony grew up with Tabby and the two developed mutual respect for each other.

He was family and he let you know it. Tabby took us on his terms. Cats are autonomous and famous for calling the shots in any household. I was never a cat person, but Tabby won me over because he was so damn cute and had the smarts of a clever mountain lion.

When pets die, the house suddenly feels empty. We still look for him on the porch or on top of a bed. I want to hear him purr one last time as he buries himself under the warm covers of our bed and disrupts our sleep cycle.

We fight back the tears when we think of him.

In time, we will find another cat, but Tabby was one of kind in our eyes — and he really can’t be replaced.

Pets, like humans, leave us, but memories of these four-legged wonders remain cherished forever and give us incentive to go on enjoy the little things in life.

For the last week or so, Tabby fought for each breath to remain with us, but another spring with him won’t happen. Like Terri, Tabby had courage and love that makes them both oh so special to me.